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coincidental

adjective
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co·​in·​ci·​den·​tal | \ (ˌ)kō-ˌin(t)-sə-ˈden-tᵊl How to pronounce coincidental (audio) \

Definition of coincidental

1 : resulting from a coincidence a coincidental resemblance
2 : occurring or existing at the same time coincidental deaths
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about coincidental

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Examples of coincidental in a Sentence

The fact that he and his boss went to the same college was purely coincidental. the nearly coincidental deaths of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa
Recent Examples on the Web In fact, Jones said, the shared number with Stephen Curry is coincidental. — Matt Kawahara, SFChronicle.com, "Stanford’s Haley Jones has returned from injury better than ever for No. 1 Cardinal," 31 Dec. 2020 The timing isn't coincidental: Medellín hopes an infrastructure push can also kickstart an economy devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. — Sebastian Modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "How Medellin Plans to Become South America's First Eco-City," 9 Nov. 2020 The process for separating real adverse reactions from coincidental events must be rapid and credible. — Daniel Salmon, STAT, "Lessons for monitoring Covid-19 vaccine safety from the H1N1 pandemic," 29 Oct. 2020 Yost said the timing of the indictment of Mearan was coincidental and that case was not part of the operation. — Bob Strickley, The Enquirer, "Portsmouth attorney Michael Mearan pleads not guilty. Judge sets $300,000 bond in sex trafficking case," 26 Oct. 2020 The timing of Biden’s new answer is certainly not coincidental. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Joe Biden and the Return of the Dreaded Bipartisan Commission," 23 Oct. 2020 Offit said the pharmaceutical companies should inform the public of pauses, and if the trial is allowed to proceed, explain why the illnesses were coincidental and not due to the vaccine. — Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, "A week after Covid-19 vaccine trial goes on pause, Johnson & Johnson and FDA won't reveal critical details," 19 Oct. 2020 The timing was coincidental, but fitting nonetheless. — James Wagner, New York Times, "Rays Send Yankees to Another Off-Season of Vexing Questions," 10 Oct. 2020 The timing is not coincidental: The event’s birth corresponded with the death of her only child, William, 27, in an accident in 2014. — Karen Taylor, NOLA.com, "Destrehan cyclist raises more than $30K for kids' cancer research and eases her grief along the way," 2 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coincidental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of coincidental

circa 1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for coincidental

coincident + -al entry 1

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Time Traveler for coincidental

Time Traveler

The first known use of coincidental was circa 1800

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Statistics for coincidental

Last Updated

9 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Coincidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coincidental. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for coincidental

coincidental

adjective
How to pronounce coincidental (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of coincidental

: happening because of a coincidence : not planned

See the full definition for coincidental in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on coincidental

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coincidental

Nglish: Translation of coincidental for Spanish Speakers

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